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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The sleek blue packaging and gold lid of the two products look noticeably alike. While she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy established brands and provide affordable alternatives to high-end products. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts say certain substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a show about celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the specialists also recommend consumers check details and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not only funding the brand and promotion - often the higher price also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the technology used to produce the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, she says.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they may include bulking agents that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The major question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For more complicated products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using more specialised brands.

The expert says these will likely have been through expensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead cite studies done by other companies, she adds.

Read the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up